Taste on Melrose

It takes deep pockets to hang at Koi or Mozza every night, as many a young scenester would love to do. For the deep pocket-impaired, there's Taste, the Melrose Avenue restaurant a stone's throw from Ago and Lucques. With a sweet little patio in front and a couple of minuscule but romantic dining rooms inside, you'd never guess that it used to be a funky shrimp shack. It just goes to show what a savvy designer can do, even with limited resources. On the menu, there is white truffle oil and mushroom macaroni and cheese and pan-seared crab cakes for starters and a Kobe beef cheeseburger and cumin-spiced pork chop for main entrees that all win raves. The dining room is cramped or cozy, depending on your perspective, and the food is well-priced, especially for the location, with no entrees over $20. It’s a nice place for Sunday brunch too, without the scene found at Hugo’s or Urth Caffe.

TIPS: They offer “Wine Discovery Mondays,” where bottles of wine are half price. Every full moon, along with the days before and after, they create a special aphrodisiac menu to…er, heighten the senses.